Photographic apparatus for composing printed matter and the like



A ril 2, 1957 CHUNG-SHU KWEI 2,737,200

PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR COMPQSING LIKE PRINTED MATTER AND THE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 19. 1953 INVENTOR. CHU G-5Hu KWEI BY 5'; m filfeL I ATTORNEYS A ril 2, 1957 CHUNG-SHU KWEI 2,787,200

PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR COMPOSING PRINTED MATTER AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 19, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR. H G- SHU Kwm HTTORNEYS United States Patent PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR COMPOSING PRINTED MATTER AND THE LIKE Chung-Shu Kwei, New Haven, Conn.

Application October 19, 1953, Serial No. 386,933

2 Claims. (Cl. 95-45) This invention relates to apparatus for use in photo graphically composing characters to be printed.

For composing printed matter, it has been proposed heretofore to photograph the printed characters in the desired sequence by projecting them one by one from a negative onto photographic film. One of the principal difficulties with this procedure is the complexity of the apparatus used for projecting the printed characters in the desired sequence, such apparatus generally involving a complicated electronic system or an intricate mechanical arrangement by which a particular one of the many characters on the negative can be rapidly selected and arranged to be projected by the light source upon the film at the exposure station.

The principal object of the present invention resides in a simplified form of apparatus for this purpose. By means of the new apparatus, the characters on the negative can be projected quickly and easily in the desired sequence, without the usual complexities inherent in prior apparatus of this type.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent from the description which follows.

An apparatus made according to the present invention comprises a drum having a transparent negative extending partly around the drum axis to form a peripheral face of the drum. This negative has superimposed arcuate rows of characters to be projected for photographing. The drum is disposed on a mount on which it is rotatable on its axis and also movable longitudinally of. its axis. A stationary light source within the drum is adapted to project a beam of light through the transparent negative and upon a photographic film at the exposure station, so that any selected one of the characters on the negative can be photographed depending upon the axial and angular position of the drum relative to the stationary light source and the exposure station. An indexing member is connected to the drum for moving it both axially and rotatably so that the characters on the negative can be positioned for projection one by one. A pointer connected to the indexing member is movable thereby over a stationary reference member having characters similar to those on the negative and arranged to indicate, by reference to the pointer, the particular one of the characters on the negative which is positioned for projection.

In the preferred form of the apparatus, the drum is provided with at least two transparent negatives on which the characters are arranged in the same order but are of different form, for example, different styles of print. These transparent negatives occupy different circumferential portions of the drum periphery. The indexing member is releasably connected to the drum, and by varying its angular position relative to the drum, the se lected one of the negatives can be placed in operating position between the stationary light source and the exposure station, with the pointer indicating on the reference member the particular character on the negative which is in position to be projected. Preferably, means are so provided for frictionally holding the drum in any of its adjusted positions, to prevent accidental displacement of a character on the negative after it has been positioned for projection.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a preferred form of the new apparatus,

Fig. 2 is a schematic view in perspective showing parts. of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

:Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;. and

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the upper part of the. main shaft as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus there shownv I comprises a base 10 in the form of a box having a top or table portion 10a and a bottom 10b. Within the box are columns 11 supporting a stationary friction plate 12, this plate being also supported at its central por tion by a tube 13 mounted on the bottom of the box.. The parts 11 and 13 hold the friction plate 12 rigidly in the box slightly below the top 1011.

Between the stationary disc 12 and the top 10a of the box is a movable friction plate 14. This movable plate is rotatable on a hollow shaft or tube 15 held within the tube 13. The inner tube 15 rests upon the bottom of' the box and projects upwardly through openings in the plates 12-414 and the overlying top 10a of the box. The rotatable plate 14 fits closely between the stationary parts 10a and 12, and the engagement of plate 12 with the overlying plate 14 imposes a substantial resistance to rotation of the latter plate on its tube axis 15. This frictional resistance, however, is not so great that it cannot be readily overcome by manual rotation of the plate 14 as will be described presently.

A vertical shaft 16 is mounted for rotation within the tube 15 and is movable axially in this tube. The shaft 16 extends the entire length of the surrounding tube 15;

and has an enlargement 17 above the top of tube 15, the enlargement being threaded or otherwise secured to the shaft. In its head or top portion, the enlargement 17 is formed with three vertical slots 17a extending diametrically of the head, so that they intersect at the center. A cap 18 is adapted to be screwed on the head to cover the slots 17a.

A radia'l arm 20 has its inner portion located in one of the slots 17a, where it is held by the cap 18. At its outer portion, the arm 20 has a depending vertical extension 21 located radially outward from a stationary arcuate reference member 22 mounted on the top or table 10a of the box. The extension 21 has a lower portion 21a of circular cross-section which projects downward through an arcuate recess in the table Mia. and through a hole 14a in the underlying rotatable plate 14. The hole 14a is located in a radial projection 14b of plate 14, radially outward from the stationary plate 12. Thus, extension 21 clears the plate 12 so that the latter does not interfere with rotation of the arm iii-21 through the angle permitted by the arcuate recess in the table 10a. Secured to the lower face of the rotatable plate 14 adjacent the hole 14a is a spring catch 14c which engages the arm extension 2102 so as to impose a frictional resistance against vertical displacement of the extension through the disc hole. As shown, the lower end of the extension 21a rests in an arcuate groove or track in the bottom 10b of the box. A branch 24 of the depending extension 21 is likewise located radially outward from the stationary reference member 22 and rests upon the table 10a. The branch extensions 21 and 24 are interconnected by a pin 25 to add rigidity to these members.

The extension 24 is parallel to shaft 16, while the other extension has at least its rower part 21a slanting slightly inward from the upper part 21, so that it tends to bind in the plate hole 140. in this way, the extension 22:: supple cuts the action of spring catch Ede infrictionally resisting vertical displacement of extension 21.

A drum Z6 is rotatable on the shaft 15. The drun is open at the bottom but has a solid top through which the shaft 16 extends, the drum top being held against the undersurface of the enlargement 17. On the top of the drum are three pairs of detents or horns s 'ced equidistantly around a peripheral portion The radial system 2:? extends between one pair or in: detents 27 to which it is releasably connected by a cross pin 27a projecting through aligned holes in the detents and the arm. Accordingly, vertical movement of the extension 21 raises or lowers the drum 2-5 the friction imposed by the spring catch 2 20, while a lateral swinging movement of the extension 21 rotates the drum in one direction or the other against the friction impose by engagement of the rotatable plate 14 against stationary plate 12.

Three transparent negatives 28, 28a and 2312 are mounted on the drum so as to form peripheral surfaces thereof. That is, each negative extends approximately one-third of the way around the circumference of the drum between vertical members 29 depending from the top of drum 2-6, to which the negative may be secured. These negatives are each provided with a series of difierent characters to be printed (not shown), the characters being arranged superimposed arcuate rows. In other words, each row extends horizontally in an are around the peripheral portion of the drum occupied by the negative, and the rows are spaced from each other axially of the drum. The sequence of the characters on the three negatives is identical, but the characters on each negative differ in form from those of the other negatives. Thus, the characters on the negative 28 can be letters of common form, those on negative 28a may be of script form and those on negative 281; may be of still a third form.

A stationary light source 39 is mounted within the drum 25 near its periphery. As shown, the light source 30 is secured to a stand 31, which may he mounted on the table 19a of the stationary box or secured to the tube 15 if the latter is held stationary in the outer tube 13. The light source is of the type, well-known per se, which directs a fine pencil or beam of light, the light beam passing through an adjacent negative 28, 2% or 28b so as to project one of the characters thereon through an optical system 32 to a film exposure station 33. Energizing of the light source 36 may be effected in any desired manner, as through an electric wire (not shown) carried by the tube 15.

The exposure station 33, shown schematically, may be arranged for contact printing on a continuous strip of film (such as photographic tape) which is advanced like the ribbon of a typewriter after each projection of one of the characters by the light source 3". The optical system 32, likewise shown only schematically, serves to direct the image of the projected character upon a predetermined area of the film in the exposure station. in some instances, as when contact printing is used, the optical system 32 may be eliminated.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows. Let it be assumed that it is desired to compose printing of the style represented by the characters on the transparent negative 28. The radial arm 21? will then be secured between the pair of detents 27 whichis located diametrically opposite to the central portion of the negative 28, the inner part of the arm being located in the corresponding slot 17a of shaft 16. Consequently, the transparent negative 28 will be disposed between the light source 3% and the exposure station 33, and the arm extensions 21-24 will be adjacent the stationary reference member 22, it being understood that the latter is centered diametrically opposite the stationary light source 30. The operator til) grasps the arm extensions 21, which constitutes an indexing member, and positions the drum 26 both vertically and angularly by raising and lowering the indexing member 2-1 and swinging it arc-wise in either direction about the shaft 16 as an axis. In this way, any particular one of the characters on the negative 28 can be positioned in front of the light source 30 for projection upon the film at the exposure station 33.

In order to select and position a particular character to be projected, the operator is guided by pointer on the extensions 21-44 which is movable over a table of characters shown at 22.1 on the adjacent stationary reference member 22. The characters on the reference member 22 are arranged in the same sequence as the characters on the transparent negatives 28, 23a and 28b, except that the rows of characters on the reference member 22 are arranged in reverse order axially of the drum. In other words, the bottom row of characters on the reference member 22 will correspond to the top row of characters on each of the transparent negatives, thc next-to-the-bottom row of characters on reference member 22 will correspond to the second next-to-the-top row of characters on the negatives, etc.

in the position of the parts as illustrated, the drum 26 is in its lowermost position with the arm extensions 21 and 24 resting in the groove 23 and on the table 100, respectively. In this position, the pointer 35 is aligned with the lowermost row of characters on the arcuate reference member 22, and the light source 30 is aligned witn the uppermost row of characters on the transparent negative 28. By swinging the extension or indexing member 21 aterally to align the pointer 35 with a particular character in the lowermost row on the reference member, the corresponding character in the uppermost row on negative 28 will be aligned with the light source 3% so that it can be projected upon the film at exposure station 33. Similarly, by raising the indexing member 21 and swinging it laterally, any particular character in any of the other rows, as indicated by pointer 35, can be projected upon the film. fter each adjustment of the drum in this manner by the indexing member 21, the drum is held in its adjusted position by the friction catch 14c and the friction plates 12'l4, to prevent accidental displacement of the drum while the selected character is being photographed. After each repositioning of the drum, the actual exposure of the newly positioned portion of the film at station 33 can be efiected by the operator through operation of a switch (not shown) for energizing the light source 39; or the light source can be energized permanently and the exposure effected by opening and closing of a'shutter (not shown), covering the film at the exposure station.

When it is desired to compose print from a. dificrent style of characters, the cap 18 is unscrewed from the shaft head 17 and the pin 2711 is withdrawn to release the arm 20, which is then raised. This permits the drum to be rotated independently of the indexing member 21 2... so as to position one of the other transparent negatives 22a-28b between the light source 3 3 and the exposure station'33. The arm 20 is then inserted between the detents 27 which are now adjacent the stationary refcrence member 22, and in the corresponding slot 271:. after which the pin 27a and cap 18 are replaced to locl: the arm to the drum. The operation will then be as previously described, except that the characters which are projected'will be thus on the newly selected negative which has beenpositionedadjacent the light source 30.

it will be apparentthat the new apparatus is of simple and inexpensive construction and yet can be operated rapidly to project the characters in the desired sequence upon the photographic film in the exposure station. The box It) and the drum 26 may be made of a ligh. weight material, such as aluminum, so that the apparatus can be easily-transported. By its use of the pentograph principle, the'apparatu's makes it possible to project and photograph a wide range of characters. Thus, it is admirably suited for composing printed matter in Chinese and other languages which use relatively large numbers of different characters.

Iclaim:

1. In a photographic apparatus for composing printed matter and the like, the combination of a base having a table portion, a stationary friction plate fixed to the base below the table portion, a movable friction plate rotatable about a generally vertical axis and resting on the upper surface of said first plate, a hollow vertical shaft mounted in the base and projecting upward through said plates and table portion, the movable plate being rotatable on said shaft as an axis, a shaft rotatably mounted in the first shaft and movable axially therein, a drum overlying the table portion and supported on the second shaft for movement therewith, the drum having a transparent negative extending at least partly around said second shaft to form a peripheral surface of the drum, the negative having superimposed arcuate rows of characters to be photographed, a stationary light source Within the drum, a film exposure station outside the drum in position to receive an image of one of said characters projected by the light source, a stationary reference member on the base partly surrounding the drum and having superimposed arcuate rows of characters duplicating said first rows but arranged in reverse order axially of the drum, an arm extending generally radially from the drum axis and connected to said second shaft and the drum, whereby the arm is operable to move the drum both axially and rotatably relative to said light source and station so that said first characters can be positioned for projection one by one, an indicator connected to the arm and movable thereby over the reference member to select a character to be projected, a vertical extension of said arm slidable parallel to the drum axis in a recess in the movable plate, and a friction clamp on the movable plate engaging said extension to resist axial movement of the drum.

2. A combination according to claim 1, in which said vertical extension is dimensioned to rest on the bottom of the base in the lowermost position of the drum, said extension having a branch adapted to rest on the table portion in the lowermost position of the drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,237,239 Bunnell Aug. 14, 1917 1,893,439 Ogden Jan. 3, 1933 2,010,561 Ogden Aug. 6, 1935 2,298,666 Whitelaw Oct. 13, 1942 2,646,732 Offeman July 28, 1953 

